Friday, March 29, 2013

Op-Ed: Eliminate Felony Prostitution in Illinois

This piece is from Lynne Johnson is policy and advocacy director for Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, which leads the End Demand Illinois campaign. This op-ed ran this morning in the Chicago Sun-Times.

It’s time to call it off. The 13-year-old experiment of charging
prostitution as a felony in Illinois has failed. People in prostitution are
being cycled through the criminal justice system without access to the help
they really need, and the people causing the harm are going unpunished. Recently,
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Commissioner Bridget Gainer
introduced a resolution calling for an end to felony prostitution charges in
Cook County, in part to relieve pressure on the overcrowded jail. We are
encouraged that local officials understand how wasteful and unfair felony
prostitution really is, but the problem extends far beyond Cook County. To get
to the root cause, the End Demand Illinois campaign is lobbying for a bill that
would eliminate felony prostitution charges throughout our entire state.

Glenda Sykes is determined to help make that happen. In
March, Glenda testified before members of the Illinois Senate and explained how
felony charges for prostitution had trapped her in a cycle of exploitation. “I
had no hope,” she told them. “I thought I would die on the streets.” While it
might seem like charging prostituted people with felonies could deter them,
high recidivism rates prove that the punishment isn’t the answer. Glenda’s 13
felony prostitution convictions did not help her escape the sex trade, treat
her drug problem or find employment. Now, Glenda is getting support from
community-based organizations, but those felonies have impeded her from pursuing
her dream to become a nurse. Glenda volunteers with other survivors at the Chicago
Coalition for the Homeless to change things for people who are still struggling
to get out of prostitution.

The intentions behind the proposed Cook County moratorium on
felony prostitution are good, but it is not the most effective response. A
moratorium would only affect Cook County and would depend upon the cooperation
of local law enforcement who would be under no legal obligation to follow it. Cook
County officials also support the End Demand Illinois bill to eliminate felony
prostitution statewide, which could save the Illinois Department of Corrections
more than $2 million annually. It would also bring Illinois in line with how the
rest of the country responds; only seven other states charge prostitution as a felony.

Meanwhile, people who buy sex report that police ignore them
and only target women and girls for arrest. The numbers reflect that reality. Under
state law in 2011, there were 1,871 arrests of prostituted people but only 95 arrests
for solicitation. Trying to buy sex—solicitation—is merely treated as a misdemeanor.
In interviews, johns repeatedly say that facing legal consequences would make
them think twice about buying sex. If you don’t want to see prostitution in
your community, ask local police to go after the johns who create the demand
for paid sex.

It’s time to rethink our response to prostitution and for
the General Assembly to eliminate the felony charge. Most people in the sex trade face chronic homelessness and
substance abuse, and many engage in prostitution for basic necessities like
food and shelter. In other parts of the country, prostituted people are offered
support and services without being charged with a felony, and it’s working. Survivors
say their lives change when they meet people like Glenda—people who have been
where they are and can show them a way out.